This Above All
by Aerial312
Summary: Another postep for Transition. A sequel to my By Fearing to Attempt. Josh & Donna. More help from mom.


Title: This Above All  
Author: Aerial312  
Rating: PG  
Category: Angst/Romance  
Spoiler Info: Post Ep for Transition.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing…I just borrow.  
Feedback: Greatly appreciated. Sure. Just let me know where its going.  
A/N: My third post ep for Transition. This is a sequel to "By Fearing to Attempt".

"Here. Coffee. You two must be tired."

"We took the red eye so we'd be able to spend the whole day with you, mom."

"I'm so happy you wanted to come here as part of your vacation," she smiled broadly.

Josh looked nervously at his mother and her huge grin.

"Mrs. Lyman—" Donna began

"Rita."

"But, I've always called you Mrs. Lyman."

"Rita."

"Okay, Rita. I was just going to say that you look lovely today."

"Well, I wanted to look nice today. You're the first girlfriend that my son has ever brought home to meet me."

"You've known Donna for a long time, mom. Hell, you talk to her more than you talk to me."

Donna looked between them, slightly surprised. She hadn't realized that Josh knew that she still talked to his mom on a regular basis.

"I know. But she wasn't quite your girlfriend before, but—"

Josh sighed. "Mom…"

"—she was special to you. That was clear. That was clear the first time when she came with you to see your father and I during the first Bartlet for America campaign."

"How was it clear?"

"She put up with you for one thing."

"Mom!"

Donna laughed, as Josh looked incredulously at his mother.

"Rita, where is the bathroom?"

"Down the hall on the right, honey."

As Donna walked down the hall, Rita sat beside Josh on the couch.

"Pass me my purse."

Josh grabbed it from the side table and handed it over. Rita opened it and produced a small black box.

"Here it is."

"Mom! She'll come back out here in a minute."

"You've got a minute, and I've got a good view down the hallway. Look at it."

Josh picked up the small box and opened it. His grandmother's ring. He hadn't seen it in nearly a decade, but he still remembered what it looked like.

"Beautiful, isn't it? She wore that ring for nearly 60 years."

Josh took a deep breath and nodded, keeping his gaze on the small diamond ring in his hand.

"How are you going to do it?"

"What?" Josh snapped up to look at his mom. " Um…I don't know…I…I just don't know…I'm not sure that now is…I just…I'm a little overwhelmed."

"Your doubts are back?"

"I'm just scared."

"You know she loves you."

"Yeah, and I love her. Incredibly. I just…I'm terrible at this."

"It doesn't have to be some cliché thing, Joshua. You love her. Enough to want to ask her to be your wife. You'll find the courage." She stood up and walked toward the kitchen.

"What if I don't?"

"You will. It's not like there's a time limit."

"There is. A time limit. Donna said we had four weeks to figure out what we were, and now we're down to—"

"Josh, I think you two have already figured that out—"

"But we haven't. We haven't discussed it."

"Joshua, she wanted to know you loved her too. You do. You took her to Hawaii. You're admitting, to other people that you love her. That's what she wanted."

"Did you talk with her about this?"

"No."

"Then how—"

"Josh, I'm a woman. I know a little bit about these things. She's waited nine years for you, she's not going to run away because what you are to each other doesn't have a specific title."

Josh took a deep breath, and shoved the ring box into his pocket. "I can't lose her. I can't. I just don't know if I can do this now…I'm…afraid…that…I don't know."

"She'll say yes. You know that."

"Its so fast."

"We went over this."

"I know. I know, nine years."

"Yes. What did I tell you on the phone?"

"You quoted Shakespeare."

"Yes, 'Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.' Measure for Measure."

"Does Shakespeare have any words of wisdom for me know?" Josh sighed and lay back on the couch.

"Screw your courage to the sticking place and we'll not fail?"

"Hmm…"

"This above all: to thine own self be true."

"That one's no good."

"Why?"

"I don't know what I'm being true to!"

"She fell in love with you, all of your flaws included, not in spite of them."

"What does that mean?"

"She loves you for who you are. You're over-analyzing this. A proposal does not need to be a grandly staged event, it—oh hello, my dear. Find everything okay?"

"Yes," Donna replied, returning to the living room where Josh was still laying on the couch.

"Do you want anything to drink?"

"A glass of water would be nice." Donna looked over at Josh suspiciously, but he had closed his eyes.

"Coming right up."

The phone rang, and Rita quickly picked it up. "Hello?"

"Are they here now?"

"Yes, Ethel, they are."

"Has he proposed yet?"

"No, but I don't think it will be a problem"

"Are they right there?"

"Yes."

"Does he have the ring now?"

"Yes."

"Then come over, and leave them alone!"

"All right, all right Ethel. I'll come over and give you a hand with that. We won't let the whole dish be a disaster. See you in a minute."

Rita hung up the phone on Ethel's laughing. "Excuse me, my dears, but I've got to go help out my neighbor Ethel for a little while. I'll probably be gone for an hour or so."

"Do you need any help?" Donna asked.

"No, you two stay here and have fun."

"We will."

"Did you hear me, Joshua?"

"Yup."

Donna looked at him oddly as his mom left the house. "Are you okay?"

Josh rolled over and looked at her. "What? Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little out of it."

"You sure you're okay?" she leaned down and grabbed his chin, pulling him into a gentle kiss.

"Mmmhmmm," Josh replied, not breaking away from her. He was okay. She was right there with him. _This above all: to thine own self be true_. He could do this.


End file.
